Happy New Year 2015!

By Emma O’Hara, Girls Innovate! Teen Committee

Happy New Year! My name is Emma, and I am President of the Girls Innovate! Teen Committee. I’m writing to share with you what’s been going on with the TC this fall and to invite you to our upcoming workshop on communications skills with Attorney Soyeun Choi on Saturday, January 17, 2015, 2:15-4:30pm at the Los Altos Library.

Since the end of summer, the TC has really come together to make some amazing things happen. Together, we started the Student Leadership Challenge. We have learned a lot about ourselves and each other and how to be more effective team members and leaders. We have worked together (along with outside collaborators and internal mentor advisors) to put on events such as Gavel Club, Design_Code_Build, Hour of Code and Mentor Calls. (Read below for blog posts about some of those events.)

Internally, the Teen Committee has become more efficient and supportive towards each other via four functional teams. The three executive team members – Lydia (VP of Digital & Social Media), Cathy (Treasurer + VP of Technology) and myself, Emma (TC President + VP of Projects and Events) – each head one or two teams. The Media team is led by Lydia, and her team makes sure that events are well-captured through photos and social media. The Tech and Finance team, both led by Cathy, are supporting the organization with technology tools and learning to keep track of finances. The Projects and Events team (P+E), led by me, are working to make the Girls Innovate! event planning process more efficient, organized and supported, so that more Teen Committee girls can lead projects/events and learn from the experience.

I’m really grateful for the community, the opportunities and the experiences that the Teen Committee has provided me this past year, and I’m definitely excited for the year to come.

Lastly, as a TC member who uses email and chat with others frequently to get things done, I’m looking forward to our January 17th Communications Workshop with Attorney Soyeun Choi. This event is free and open to teen girls and will be led by me. I can’t wait to learn from Attorney Soyeun and hope you will join me. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us via reply to this email.